6th Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Cruz del Palmar Water Project

Record of Event pg 1 of 3
6th Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Cruz del Palmar Water Project

Where: Cruz del Palmar Community (40 mins from SMA)
When: Wed May 12.05.10 11am
Who: Chela, Holly (Cedesa), Laura (Rotary), 27 adults incl 4 men, 6 kids, 4 dogs, & 1 cat!

Purpose: Review 1st phase of construction of individual cisterns

We paid the door supplier on the way, & placed order for the next lot of doors for 1 of the 4 – soon to be 5 – current projects.

Rafael Cruz (technician for this community as well as Montecillo de Nieto, met us at CdP & I paid him for his tech. assistance days 3+1 prob solving day, for CdP, & 4 days for MdN.

The meeting was held in the local park (not at Yolande’s house) on concrete planters under the large gum trees (could have been in Australia!!)…

The roll was passed, & people signed in.

There is one woman on the waiting list, but she is not ready to begin as is currently constructing a house as part of the casa diferente project by DIF (dept of social welfare equivalent).

There are to be 2 points for discussion
• Revision of the groups
• Revision of materials

Revision of Groups
Group 1.
Chela asked who is in group 1, who are working & where are they up to in their construction.

Ana & Jose Luis not working, & Martin is working with Olivia from Group 2.

4 women are working together, Martin is working on his own & with Olivia from Group 2, & Jose Luis has not managed to hook up with anyone working yet. He is working fulltime & so can not work at the same time as others.

They had all agreed to hire an abanile (experienced carpenter) to work with them, & pay them themselves, since Jose Luis couldn’t work with them.

Chela asked what should be done about the 2 not working then?

“the materials have not arrived for everyone in the group yet, but most people understand they must work with the group & when the 2nd part of the materials arrive work on those too…”

Chela pointed out they need to honour & respect their agreements to work together in groups.

There was a suggestion for the ones not working from each of the groups to form a separate group.

Record of Event pg 2 of 3

I mentioned that I don’t like the idea of a “splitter” group since a large part of the exercise was to learn how to work in a group, & to make that group work. I asked if there was some other form of payback they could come up with to compensate for not working so far, they explained they had already paid abaniles to help them with the bits they couldn’t do, so it was too late for the others to re-join.

Group 2.
This group had had a planning meeting to which some people didn’t come, they argued they didn’t know about the meeting.

Esther, Estella & Olivia were not working with the group.
Esther & Estella had joined group 3. Olivia was now working with Martin (from group 1.

The others have been working together.
Chela suggested maybe there is a problem with human relations & maybe they need to work on “working with eachother”…

Group 3
This group had all been working together, including 2 from group 2, & 1 from the “pending group” who had voluntarily been working.

“When you work with a group, you talk to others working with you, if you work alone you only have the wire to talk to & you get tired & grumpy.”

The harmony of working in a group is great.
Taking lack of husbands working into consideration, it is not just 1 or 2 days work but is actually weeks, but will be worth it.

One of the women mentioned how upset she was because they had all agreed at the assemblies to work in groups, & then when the materials arrived people had split into different groups.

There was a question about the plywood, & pointed out there is one set for each group, apparently initially one of the groups received & used all of the plywood until the other groups went to them to ask for it back.

24 sheets came (should be only 18 sheets) ie 6 per group, & 3 groups in CdP.
They also have 1 set from the pilot to use, someone needs to go to the school to retrieve this set, they suggested the splitter group use this. Then decided since group 3 is the biggest they should retrieve this set.

Group 4 is to form with the “non-co-operating” people & new people.
Marcelina, Cristina, Felix, Amada, Celia, Wenceslada (working with group 3), Jesus
(these are an extra 7 people who were on the waiting list, Laura said after revising the budget it appears we have sufficient $$ to add these people)

They will work with Jose Luis, & Ana from group 1 (who already have cistern materials)

The budget will have to stretch to cover, standard materials, variable materials (pvc), tech assistance, wood, doors, sand.

In total CdP will complete 27 Cisterns (not the previously budgeted 20).

Review of Materials


Record of Event pg 3 of 3

Diana Gonzalez asked about the pvc for the first lost of cisterns, I have been checking with Don Pedro (the supplier) daily, but it is a big order so they are waiting on their supplier. They will keep her informed & she has the number at Don Pedro.

We asked when they would be ready for the materials for the final 8 cisterns (they are currently completing the first 12 ) & now, also for the materials for the new 7 cisterns.

They agreed all for the last week of May (Laura will place the order for additional materials & make payment, & then request delivery of the materials for the total 15 on the last week of May).

Diana asked who will receive the variable materials for the 15 cisterns - & then agreed she would do it again, with help from others, since she is not home every day, she will ask that others spread the word once the materials arrive, & people come to collect them asap.

One woman building a Dif house asked if it’s ok to put the pipes up when they are finished the house, Chela suggested they put the pipes on the old house in the meantime to maximise rain collection, & move them to the new house once it’s completed.

Someone asked about the green slime that shows in the hoses on the outside of the tank, & if it means there is slime inside the tank? Chela explained the slime is a result of the sun, & therefore is only in the transparent hose & not in the tank. Also that it is harmless…

Someone called Chela Senora & got reprimanded, she insists they not call her Donya or Senora, but just Chela (the person, not Chela the beer) & everyone had a good chuckle.

Carmen Noria asked to go on the list, since we have only enough for 7 more (fingers crossed!!), Holly explained if others receiving materials do not co-operate & work in a group they may lose it, in which case she could gain them.

Chela invited people who are interested in receiving materials & not currently on the list to come to the next meeting, attendees at this meeting are to inform others interested, & there may be a 2nd phase to this project.

Next meeting to be 9th June @ 11am (10.30 Puente Cienegita)